On July 28, 2016, the country'sDepartment of Tourism(DOT) has unilaterally declared that the Philippines will host the Miss Universe 2016 pageant[12]but it was only on November 3, 2016 that the Miss Universe Organization (MOU) officially announced the country as host of the pageant.[13][14]

The pageant is being organized by the LCS Group of Companies, the DOT and the MOU.

Ancillary and other events

Alongside with the main pageant, ancillary events will be held which has no effect on the contestants' total pageant score. The contestants are scheduled to participate in fashion shows in Davao, Cebu, and Vigan. Each venue will have a theme; Mindanao fabric for Davao, beachwear for Cebu, andternofor Vigan. The contestants will partake in a different event in Bicol.[20]

On December 13, 2016, some of the pageant's candidates had a photoshoot withwhale sharksinOslob, Cebu. This activity was criticized byGreenpeace Southeast Asia, Marine Wildlife Watch, and other wildlife conservationist groups in the Philippines who discourage human interaction with the whale sharks, as they are consideredendangered species.[21]The Department of Tourism (DOT) said that there were only five candidates present and the activity was an occular inspection. Following criticisms, the DOT is considering to do the whale watching activity for the final show inDonsol,Sorsogoninstead.[22]

On December 14, 2016, the DOT cancelled the fashion show originally scheduled on January 19, 2016 at theSMX Convention Centerin Davao City to prevent further "controversy" following the claim of local-based designers led by the Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. (DFDCFI) that they have been "brushed off" by the pageant organizers. The group claimed that they were never consulted and questioned why they were asked to dress up local models instead of being in charge of pre-show cocktail of the main event which is tasked to non-Mindanaoan designer, Renee Salud. Following the cancellation announcement, the DFDCFI said that they respect the decision but urged the organizers that Davao City to remain as one of the places to be visited by the candidates.[23]On December 22, 2016, it was announced that the fashion show will push through after Salud and the DFDCFI cleared their misunderstandings and decided to help each other.[24]

Preliminary Competition

At the Mall of Asia Arena, all 86 contestants competed in swimwear and evening gown in front of a panel of preliminary judges. The scores from the night's event along with an interview portion determine the Top 13 during the Miss Universe broadcast. The Preliminary Competition was hosted by Pia Wurtzbach and Filipino-British actorDerek Ramsay.

Coronation night

The pageant program was initially announced to start at 5 a.m. (UTC+08:00) but it was later announced that the program will run from 8 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.[25]

Solar Entertainment, one of the pageant's partners, was tasked to provide broadcast coverage of the competition in the Philippines.[26]In December 2016,TV5,[27]GMA Network[28]andABS-CBN[29]secured rights to air live coverage of the pageant. Earlier in November its was reported that "all local networks" including GMA Network and TV5 will broadcast the pageant upon the request of President Rodrigo Duterte.[25]

The 13 women will be selected from the contestants as semifinalists. Following the evening gown competition, six out of twelve contestants will advance to the question and answer round where each contestant will be given a question to answer by the jury. The three finalist will be made known before announcing the Miss Universe 2016 and the runner ups.[32]

Performers

In January 2017, the Miss Universe Organization and FOX confirmed that American entertainersFlo RidaandBoyz II Menwill be the musical performers at the pageant.[33][34]

Presenters

Steve Harvey will return as host this year.

American presenterSteve Harveyhas a five year contract with the Miss Universe Organization for hosting the Miss Universe pageant. In contrast, Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterteexpressed hesitation on Harvey hosting the event due to Harvey announcing the wrong winner at theMiss Universe 2015pageant. In response, Philippine Department of Tourism head, Secretary Wanda Teo proposed the idea of having a Filipino woman co-host the event to neutralize the president's displeasure.[35]On November 3, 2016, Harvey was confirmed to return as host.[14]

The Miss Universe 2016 Pageant in the Philippines is a big bet or gamble by the country with a private sponsor spending up to $14 million dollars of their own money to support the event. Hopefully the event will pay off in terms of tourism influx as it did way back in 1994 when the Miss Universe Pageant boosted the country's tourism by 15.7% which however slowed to 11.8% in the next year.

With the growth of social media and the global access to the internet, the host country hopes that this will have a positive impact for tourists around the world to take notice of the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia and along with that comes the growing pains. There is also the cleansing of society with the on-going drug wars and the battle to curb corruption that causes a drift among various socio-civic organizations in the country.

Still money talks in this grand endeavour! The event will not be as it is without the financial support of businessmen like former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson, Japanese casino owner Kazuo Okada and the Tieng family (Solar Entertainment).

So far the event has shown the beauty of the Philippines and the hospitality of the Filipinos to the world. It also shows the love and admiration of the Filipinos to the Miss Universe pageant as an event that magnifies the beauty, confidence, and strength of women all over the world. The characteristics and positive attitudes we need now more than ever at the time when the world can become divisive.